5 Ways An Office Manager Can Improve Company Culture

When it comes to retaining talent, office culture is everything! Hint, office coffee plays a role but we’ll get to that

This will generally fall on the Office Manager, who does so much more than the title suggests. Everyone in the office automatically just thinks the Office Manager is the go-to for everything… it’s almost like they think you’re a Jedi (well aren’t you?)

As an Office Manager, we know how quickly your plate can fill up… like from 0-100 real quick! So, we’ve compiled 5 best ideas to help you create the best office culture possible, without breaking your budget.

1. Ask your team for feedback

Your role in HR is really intended to improve their happiness and experience at work, so just ask what changes people want to see at work. Pour yourself a delicious cup of coffee and send out a poll over your office chat system. This kind of open communication will help you learn more about your team and will overall make them feel more valued by showing them that their opinion matters. Now you just need to follow through with action.

2. Promote work-life balance

Work-life balance is so important for engagement. So much so, that companies have even starting coming out with 4 day work weeks! Now we’re not suggesting that you tell the boss to shut-down on Fridays… just start thinking about ideas like flexible work hours, opportunities to work from home, and perhaps investing in a wellness program. Exercise increases the release of serotonin (happiness) in the brain - imagine if every team member suddenly became happier, healthier and more energetic… wouldn’t that improve productivity?

3. Make the office comfortable

It’s been proven that patterns and colours increase productivity. The same goes if you introduce the comforts of home to the workplace. Here’s a few ways you can make the office feel more like home:

Hang colourful art & inspirational quotes on the wall

Improve the lighting

Furnish open spaces or corners with comfy chairs and couches

Add a TV in the lunchroom / coffee room

Make the meeting areas fun and comfortable

4. Hire Based on Culture

Here at WA-2!, our Account Managers live and breathe office coffee culture! Companies are talking more and more these days about hiring based on ‘culture fit’ - and it really is important. Labour is one of the biggest expenses, and training can take up to a year or more! So, why wouldn’t you focus on making the best decision for your company when it comes to hiring. More importantly - how will a new team member affect your tightly knit existing team and culture that you’ve spent some much time cultivating? The first place to start is by writing down your core values and ideal culture, and then hire non-negotiably based on that list.

5. Invest in your Culture

Ahh the fun part.. You knew we were going to talk about coffee right? Well a good coffee program is just 1 way that you can invest in your culture. Here’s a short list:

Invest in a great office coffee service provider - the cost of a great coffee program is on average only $0.50 / day per team member. Now compare that to your cost if people are leaving the office on company time to go buy a coffee outside even just once a day! WA-2! Coffee offers free machines and free deliveries when you sign up for a coffee delivery service.

Invest in a snack program - food and drinks are two of the very few reasons people will leave the office during their work day (and we all know how much productivity is affected when we’re hungry or thirsty). This can be as simple as having cereal or granola bars in the office, but just make sure to have some basic sustenance on hand for those crucial times when a quick jolt is needed.

Happy Hour - Every Friday, last Friday of the month or even just quarterly. Find a way to mix things up. You may even find that your team will start to bond more and become friends after a couple of cold ones. This in itself will improve your culture and can improve productivity and communication in the workplace!

Trying to decide where to start first? Have a cup on us! Sign up for a free trial of our office coffee program today. Did we mention delivery is free as well?!

But while things might be moving a little more slowly after New Year’s, something amazing filters out of that post-holiday, back-to-work crawl. The kitchen still manages to encourage a buzz every morning. My coworkers surround me and tell me about...